1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter and in particular to an adapter electrically connecting a chip and a socket.
2. Description of the Related Art
For easy assembly and replacement, certain chips are not directly soldered to circuit boards, such as CPU chips, but are inserted into a socket or slot soldered on a mother board.
For a CPU chip with PGA package, a CPU socket with socket holes matching CPU pins is soldered onto a mother board. Such a socket as shown in FIG. 19, is referred to zero insertion force (ZIF) socket. For easy description, a rough structure of a socket 6 for CPU chip 8 is shown in FIG. 19. The socket 6 is provided with a socket top surface 60, a plurality of socket lateral surfaces 62 and a plurality of socket holes 65. The socket 6 further has a socket opening 65 provided with a plurality of flat socket opening lateral surfaces 651.
Each pin 80 of the CPU chip 8 is inserted into the corresponding socket hole 65 to electrically connecting internal circuits of the CPU chip 8 to circuits on the mother board 7. During manufacture, the CPU chip 8 is frequently inserted into and removed from the socket 6 for testing purposes. Chip pins 80 are thus easily bent or broken.
To reduce damage, the CPU chip 8 is inserted into an adapter 9 shown in FIG. 19 first, and then the adapter 9 is inserted into the socket 6. However, the adapter 9 is frequently inserted into and removed from the socket 6, as was the chip 8 previously. Obviously bent or broken pins can now occur in the adapter 9. This results in shortest life-time for the adapter 9.
Furthermore, in certain conditions, some bent pins 90 may be forced into socket holes 63, and potentially damaging the internal structure thereof.
Hence, an improved adapter is needed to resolve the problems described above.